a drink with forrest...

Sunday, September 17, 2017

ARÔME 28 exhibits an elegance that lingers to reveals toothsome, luscious aromas and flavors that build in your experience and leave you wanting another sip; this rum is a beautiful achievement, it is lovely to share and easy to enjoy.

Aromas begin with deep wood characteristic, polished leather, wonderful baking spice and all of the other scents that you would expect--vanilla, caramel, and some you may not expect.

The flavors swirl around tea, maple, clove, nutmeg, caramel, sea salt, roasted nuts, leather and tobacco. What is impressive is the depth, coupled with the balance. This is definitely something you will have to try on many occasions, but be prepared to be surprised each time.

The finish is exquisite, the gracious mouth-feel slowly fades to a clean restatement of the many flavors and exposing supple demonstrations in a slight sweetness. The lingering resolves far at your back palate, with a nice warmth.

Overall this is a great rum and a fantastic package.

I pour this at a VIP Tasting and the 100 or so people that tasted it all agreed that it was marvelous.

Each bottle is numbered and includes serialized metal labels. This is a very nice presentation and this production run is limited to 500 bottles.

Friday, July 28, 2017

I'm sorry, I will be quicker on these Barrell reviews because they are so awesome, and so limited. It is a safe bet to try them all. I have mentioned previously how awesome they are. So click this link if you want to read those, let's move on!

This is in line with Batch 005, 006, 007, 007B and the 008, and it is fantastic.
The mash bill is very close and barrel char is the same, the ages vary, this batch was picked to highlight "the rare and bright flavor note" that you find in some barrels of whisky. These kinds of offerings show you how differently whiskey can evolve as it ages.

Rather than give a detailed tasting notes, I am going to send you to their website, fantastic notes by my pal Warren Bobrow.
I will say this, hundreds of delicious pastry descriptions and I would only scratch the surface. This is magnificent Bourbon! I was reminded of Parker Beam when I was writing this. He would often take the wind out of an airy description by saying something to the effect of: "Well, it just tastes like good bourbon."

Check out Batch 011 on their website: https://www.barrellbourbon.com/batch11

The company was founded by Joe Beatrice and Barrell Bourbon is committed to unique offerings with exceptional quality as the consistent bridge that connects each Batch. Click here to read their story on the website.

Oh, and the whole website is fantastic. You can check out reviews (or post your own) and there some details on every offering that they have released and how / where to find them: Check it out here: http://www.barrellbourbon.com/

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Ok, Batch 004 of the Barrell Whiskey is here, we have already talked about why it is not Barrell Bourbon. You already know that I love this company! You also know my affection for American Whiskey and how happy I am that BARRELL is releasing these limited editions to show how great American Whiskey can be. This offering is fantastic, but the details are kinda all over the place.

So here is a brief breakdown of what is going on in it from the website:

"Barrell Whiskey 004 was distilled in Indiana and Tennessee and aged for 11 years in used American oak barrels, then finished in rum casks and rye barrels and bottled in Kentucky at 120.6 proof. We selected barrels of a Tennessee whiskey and an Indiana whiskey for this batch. Separately, the two whiskeys were finished in either rum casks left over from Barrell Rum Batch 001 production, or rye barrels to add structure and spice. We made four combinations: Tennessee whiskey finished in rum casks, Tennessee whiskey finished in rye barrels, Indiana whiskey finished in rum casks, and Indiana whiskey finished in rye barrels. We then selected and blended a number of barrels of both whiskeys with both finishes to create something really special."

Did you get all that? Wow.

~~~BARRELL Whiskey Batch 004:

~ Cask strength American Whiskey

~ Distilled in Indiana and Tennessee
~ Crafted and bottled in Kentucky
~ First in previously used American Oak
~ Finished in rum casks and rye barrels
~ 11 years aging before finishing
~ 120.6 proof {uncut, un-colored, non-chill-filtered}

The flavors show wound up spices that unfurl to a brisk, vibrant mouthfeel and candied fruits resolving at toasty grains and woody tones.

The finish fades restating all the fun beginning with a bitter snap that quickly transitions into spices that slowly fade back into the fruits, lingering on in wood nuance with supple savory hints; overall a sumptuous experience that needed to be repeated.

*Barrell Whiskey (Bourbon and Rum) was founded by Joe Beatrice; they are committed to unique offerings with exceptional quality to connect each Batch offering. They tell their story on the website, check it out.

The website is fun. Check out reviews (or post your own) and there are details on every offering that they have released and how / where to find them: Here is the address: http://www.barrellbourbon.com/

Monday, March 6, 2017

"Uncut, straight from the barrel without chill filtering, the nose, taste, and finish created by twelve years of aging are preserved in their simplest form. At full barrel proof, you can enjoy Elijah Craig much the same way our Master Distillers do when they sample straight from the barrel in our Kentucky rickhouses. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a bold and honest expression of what charred oak barrel aging can do for Bourbon, from the man who originated the process.

Reality: Varies by ReleaseBarrel Proof Batches

Each batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is an uncut Small Batch of 12-year-old Bourbon bottled straight from the barrel. The variance in proof from batch to batch presents a unique opportunity to explore the impact of the angel's share and the resulting proof in a small batch of barrels.

The first letter of the batch number indicates which of that year's releases the bottle was a part of starting with "A", while the second digit is a number that determines the month of the year the bottle was released. The third and fourth digits indicate the year".

Absolutely honest and direct.

Now, I am going to throw in my two cents. This is a fantastic deal on high-quality bourbon. I have had multiple Barrel Proof Elijah Craig and they were always great. I am glad that Heaven Hill moved to this concept and think you will be too.

Since they are all different (yet readily available), I am not going to post detailed tasting notes, but here are quick notes from the small sample I had.

T: Follows the nose that with emphasizes vibrant, spices and round fruit

F: The finish carries on with the aroma and flavor structure with a touch of warming alcohol made even more vivacious against strong the wood tones.

Great bourbon for fans of higher proof. Be careful when adding water, it is really easy to put this bourbon to sleep. That being said, I am sure it would sing with a bit of ice or in a lovely cocktail.